The American Medical Association has put together what they call “ground rules” when applying for medical licensure. Here are some highlights of the article we found interesting and what Physician Licensing Service does to help.

Increasing public demand for protection, coupled with the growth in the number and sophistication of fraudulent practitioners over the past 2 decades, has resulted in stronger and more complex licensing boards and licensing statutes throughout the country.

Within this context, a physician seeking initial licensure or subsequently applying for a license in other states should anticipate the possibility of delays due to the necessary investigation of credentials and past practice, as well as the need to comply with necessary licensing standards. These suggestions aka “Ground Rules” will not apply in all cases but generally will help most physicians applying for licensure as well as benefit the licensing board of the state in which the physician wishes to practice.Read more

In this installment, we would like to address the mathematical approach to hiring a medical licensing service. Residents: Listen up! This will apply to you a little later…

Put simply – you really cannot afford not to. On average, Physician Licensing Service issues most medical licenses anywhere from 15-40% faster than a physician attempting to attain licensure independently. In real-time, those numbers translate into anywhere from two weeks up to six months in time saved. Now, do the math; if you get your license two weeks earlier and go to work two weeks sooner, our $600 fee should more than justify itself just in time saved. Read more

Having Medicaid leads to 40% more ER visits, say researchers

January 3, 2014 | Medical News Today

New Research suggests that adults who have their medical care covered by Medicaid use emergency rooms 40% more than adults in similar situations who do not have health insurance. This is according to a study published in the journal Science.

In 2008, the state of Oregon introduced a Medicaid lottery to assign the health insurance to an additional 10,000 low-income adults after realizing they had additional funds for the program.

Individuals in Oregon are eligible to apply for the lottery if their annual income is below the federal poverty level set by the US Department of Health and Human Sciences. For 2013, this is approximately $23,550 for a family of four and $11,490 for a single person.

The study researchers, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Harvard School of Public Health, Read more

In October, Physician Licensing Service Senior Consultant, Tai Roach, set a new record for medical licenses issued in a single month with 84. Several medical licenses were issued in less than four weeks. Tai issued medical licenses in 24 different states in October alone, and 48 different states so far in 2013! With well over 1,000 licenses issued during her career at Physician Licensing Service (PLS), Tai is certainly one of the most efficient and effective medical licensing consultants to be found in the United States of America.

Medical Licensing Expenses Are Tax Deductible

Physician licensing can be expensive. The average medical license initially costs around $1500 for fees and verifications. Add physician licensing service assistance (which can cut the medical licensing time by up to 40% and allow you to start working much sooner), and your total can run around $2100-$2300. These averages vary by state and physician, but they represent a healthy cross-section of the medical licensing industry.

There is GOOD NEWS regarding these physician licensing expenses, though. These fees (including those paid to a medical licensing service) are tax deductible. There are several options, depending on a physician’s employment status:

Common Medical Licensing Misconceptions, Part Two

My current state license already verified my medical school and post graduate training. Can’t another state just get the results from them?

“Primary Source Verification” is a commonly misunderstood concept in the licensing and credentialing process.

Many applicants are unaware that their methodical information (exams, medical school and PGY training) must be primary source verified for each and every state licensing application, and most hospital or insurance credentialing applications stipulate this requirement as well.

In most cases, PS verifications must come directly from the verifying entity (i.e. – the registrar’s office at the medical school or from the PGY program) directly to the agency requesting the verification (i.e. – state medical board or hospital privileging office). The verification cannot be sent to the applicant or an outside agency (such as a licensing agent). Most agencies do have soft copy agreements, which allow them to see a copy of the verification to ensure that it has been filled out correctly before being sent to the requesting agency, but the actual verification is sent directly to the requestor.Read more

When to Hire a Medical Licensing Company- Part One

In a perfect world, medical licensing would not be as onerous or difficult as it is in reality and you would not have to decide whether to pursue licensing on your own or hire an independent medical licensing agency to assist you.

There are mitigating factors to consider when deciding to use a medical licensing company and I’d like to discuss some common circumstances. Of course, we here at Physician Licensing Service think that you should always use a licensing agent because of our superior quality, speed and professionalism, but we know that there may be instances in which you decide to pursue a license on your own. Read more

Common Medical Licensing Misconceptions

1. Getting the application to the medical board is the most important part of starting my license…

Humans are linear thinkers – we like timelines and rational processes and we really like our numbers to run in sequence: 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.; so we get easily frustrated and panicky when is seems like a process is not moving along in line with our perceived expectations.

When licensing on one’s own, the logical first step is to fill out an application, send it to the medical board and then compile a list of verifications to request to be sent to the medical board. This process is fine, if your licensing needs meet the following requirements:Read more

About Physician Licensing Service

Now in our 16th year of business, Physician Licensing Service has been changing the face of healthcare licensure. We have developed a proven system to remove the barriers common to state medical licenses and get doctors practicing in record time. Our business model focuses on simplifying the process for all involved parties. This includes the state medical boards themselves, because PLS takes great care to keep abreast of their updates in this ever changing field, and work within those guidelines. For a doctor seeking a medical license, PLS will take on the entire process, including eligibility research, paperwork, verifications, and follow up. Read more

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A new year habitually sets the stage for heightened initiative, energy, and commitment. We revisit our core values to actualize our goals so that we may propel along the continuum of progress & achievement. And as our staff members here at Physician Licensing Service realign themselves personally and individually to offer their best selves in service to our clients, as a team, we are recreating the energy & dedication indicative of PLS to deliver our best year yet.Read more